


War Criminal Custody Court

by mistbastard



Category: Stormlight Archive - Brandon Sanderson
Genre: Crack Treated Seriously, Exactly What It Says on the Tin, Gen, lowkey vasher/vivenna because it's funnier that way, or maybe serious things treated as crack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-14
Updated: 2020-11-14
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:15:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27485614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mistbastard/pseuds/mistbastard
Summary: Vasher and Szeth go to child custody court over Nightblood. Nale is the judge.
Comments: 20
Kudos: 95





	War Criminal Custody Court

**Author's Note:**

> I spent several hours researching child custody court proceedings and then threw most of it out the window; I forgot that Alethi men can't read until halfway through and was too lazy to rework it so just imagine that Adolin took inspiration from Shallan and his notes are all badly-drawn pictographs; and if anything in here contradicts the unread-by-me RoW preview chapters, tough cookies.  
> In true Branderson fashion, this ended up twice as long as it was supposed to be.

Nalan — Nale, Herald of Justice, head of the Radiant order of Skybreakers, and, in the traditions of several societies, a demigod — donned his judge's robes, took a long sip of his black coffee, and did his best to prepare himself for what he suspected would be a very long day in Urithiru's child custody court.

He settled himself behind the podium and shuffled through his papers, doing a final review of the documents before the plaintiffs arrived. The case in front of him was, in a word, bizarre: two men fighting each other for custody rights over a black Shardblade that happened to be sentient, with the approximate intellect of a preteen child and an unparalleled thirst for violence. Both men allegedly had some of the most extensive criminal histories in, well, history, but one had technically been pardoned and no actual records existed for the other. And to complicate matters even further, a third participant in the case claimed that the _sword itself_ was a criminal, and she was here to see that justice was done in that regard.

Nale allowed himself a small frown, just barely pulling at the corners of his mouth, but immediately composed himself when the doors opened and the participants filed in.

First was Szeth, a slim, bald Shin man dressed in his usual white robes. In a sling on his back he carried Nightblood, the sword-slash-child in question, and following behind him were his two character witnesses. Szeth bowed respectfully to Nale and took his place on one side of the courtroom, placing Nightblood on the desk in front of him.

Next was the supposed ardent who had given his name as Zahel on the paperwork. He was taller and more muscled than Szeth, with a scruffy beard and distinctly un-ardent-like shoulder-length hair. He seemed to size up Nale and Szeth as he entered, followed by two character witnesses of his own, and settled himself on the other side of the room.

_Vasher!_ a voice in Nale's mind — and, he assumed, everyone else's minds — exclaimed. Right. That was how the sword talked.

_Vasher, you're back! It's been DAYS since I've seen you! Weeks, even! Did you come back to destroy some evil with me?_

Zahel gave a rueful smile. "Hi, Nightblood."

Nale looked from the sword to the so-called ardent. "You said your name was Zahel."

"I used to go by Vasher. I don't think Nightblood got the memo about the name change."

Nale added this to his notes. "Is Vasher, or was it ever, your legal name?"

The ardent looked at him as if trying to determine whether or not he was serious. Nale kept his features composed, though he was slightly annoyed. Of _course_ he was serious.

"Sure," he finally said. "Vasher's my real name. We'll go with that."

That wasn't an encouraging answer. Nale opened his mouth to question him further, but at that moment the door opened again, and the woman who had, until recently, been Highmarshal of the Kholinar Wall Guard entered.

Vasher seemed to make a careful effort not to look at her.

The woman — Azure, though Nale was certain the name was fake — had short dark hair and a dramatic scar across her face. She wore a blue cloak and sword belt, though any weapons (besides Nightblood) would have been left behind prior to entering the courtroom. Her stride was confident, though she paused soon after entering. There were, of course, only two sections of seating, and both were occupied.

_VIVENNA!_ Nightblood screeched. _I THOUGHT I FELT YOU NEARBY! YOU LOOK GREAT! HAVE YOU MISSED ME? I'VE MISSED YOU SO MUCH!!!_

Azure-Vivenna's face twisted slightly, her expression unreadable. She looked over the room's inhabitants, her features hardening as her eyes finally settled on Vasher.

Neither one said anything. Nale was suddenly aware of a weight of history in the room that hadn't been present before. He didn't sigh, even if a lesser man might have wanted to. So what if this hearing was getting more complicated before it even began?

Vivenna glanced back and forth from Nightblood to Vasher for a few more seconds, clearly trying to decide which was the less distasteful option to sit next to. Eventually she took one of the seats on Vasher's side of the room.

Vasher finally looked up at her. She stared him down.

He awkwardly cleared his throat. "That's, uh." He drew a line with his finger across his cheek to mirror Vivenna's scar. "That's new. What happened?"

Her hands curled into fists. _"That's_ the first thing you say? Seriously?"

"I didn't mean— It looks…" He turned away with a huff. "Forget it."

She narrowed her eyes.

Nale briskly rapped the podium with his gavel. "All parties are now present, so let us begin. The issue in question is who should have custody over the… sentient Shardblade… called Nightblood. The first party is Szeth-son-Neturo of the Skybreakers, who currently has custody, and to support him are Highprince Dalinar Kholin, his current, er, employer, and Lift of the Edgedancers, his…" Nale regarded the teenager. "What _is_ your relation to him, exactly?"

Lift raised her eyebrows at Szeth. She swung her feet in her chair and shrugged. "I guess we're friends. Kinda. Not really, actually, both he and the sword are kinda creepy, but for today… Right?"

Szeth said solemnly, "She fought alongside us at the Battle of Thaylen City. Her testimony is intended to show that I am a responsible bearer of such a powerful weapon."

Nale made a note. "The second is Zahel, or more accurately Vasher, ardent and swordmaster in Highprince Kholin's employ, who claims to be Nightblood's true father. Here to support him are Prince Adolin Kholin and Captain Kaladin of the Windrunners, both his former students."

Both young men nodded, Adolin grinning confidently, Kaladin serious and focused. Adolin shuffled a stack of papers on the table in front of them and squared his shoulders. "Actually, Your Honor, I'll be acting as Swordmaster Zahel's attorney today. I'm sure you'll find our arguments well-reasoned and convincing."

Vasher sighed quietly. "I appreciate the help, lad, but again: you're not an attorney."

"I am today. It's the least I can do after nearly twenty years of your teaching; you deserve some sort of repayment."

"Your dad actually did pay me. A lot."

"And finally," Nale said, "our third party, representing herself, is Vivenna, formerly Highmarshal Azure of Kholinar. She claims that the sword Nightblood is a dangerous criminal, and should be in the custody of someone who will not allow him to, I quote, 'go on any more murder sprees.'"

Vasher gave her a sideways glance, and she raised her chin, daring him to contradict her.

Dalinar raised his hand. "I have a question before we begin."

Nale nodded.

"Sentient or not, this is a Shardblade we're talking about. Traditionally, in the case of disputed ownership, the claimants would resolve it by duel. Why has that not been considered?"

Nale folded his hands in front of him. "That was the first thing we considered, actually, but both main parties declined for various reasons. Furthermore, Nightblood itself would only agree to such a duel if it was involved, which, obviously, we couldn't allow. We are therefore treating it as a modified child custody dispute." _Mostly because no other remotely applicable precedents exist,_ Nale added in his mind.

Dalinar still looked skeptical, but nodded and didn't press the issue.

Nale turned to the next page of his notes. "Each side may present their opening statements. Szeth, as Nightblood's current guardian, you will begin."

Szeth stood up and, again, bowed to Nale. "Aboshi, I would firstly like to thank you for your time in hearing this case, as I know you are a busy man. In the short time that I have been responsible for this sword, I believe I have acted with everyone's best interests in mind. You instructed me to take care of it as part of my Skybreaker training, and I will continue to take that duty seriously."

At that, Adolin leaped up from where he sat beside Vasher. "Objection!" he cried. "My client is entitled to an _unbiased_ hearing, and under section…" he flipped through his notes in front of him — "305 subsection 6 bullet point L of the Alethi civil court handbook, such history between the judge and one of the plaintiffs is grounds for rescheduling the hearing with a truly impartial judge."

"See?" Kaladin said, more quietly. "I _told_ you the system's corrupt."

"I agree," Vivenna added. "I'm not on their side, but this isn't fair."

Nale fixed each of them with a cold look. His deep voice remained even as he asked, "You dare accuse the Herald of Justice himself of being unable to remain impartial?"

Vivenna, Adolin, and Kaladin shared a brief glance, then turned back to Nale with a "Yes."

Nale's lips pressed together into a slightly thinner line. "Let it be known that this case was originally assigned to another of my Skybreakers, but he was overwhelmed by the many contradictory laws and arguments at play. The fact is that this case does not have any established precedent to fall back on. I am the highest authority there is, and I assure you, I am perfectly capable of examining the facts at hand without my supposed 'personal feelings' interfering in that most noble pursuit of justice."

He looked around the room. Not all of the faces were convinced — in fact, most of them were distinctly _un_ convinced — but no one spoke up. Nale cleared his throat. "For the record of the court, how long have you had custody of Nightblood?"

As Szeth answered, Nale glanced over at Kaladin and Adolin, who were shuffling notes around and conferring together in a whisper. The lack of respect was irritating, but they weren't disturbing anyone else, so he continued with the basic opening questions, confirming what had been submitted on the paperwork. Szeth answered each with the same polite respect.

When he finished, the young men were still whispering, and others in the room were beginning to get curious. Nale set his pen down, annoyed. "Is there something you'd like to share with the court?"

Adolin raised his eyebrows at Kaladin, who nodded. "Your speech about the impartiality of your law was inspiring," Adolin began, "and we therefore devised a way to prove it to anyone who still doubted."

"This board," Kaladin continued, holding up an empty clipboard with hasty glyphs scratched into the wood, "will track the arguments made for and against each party. When you announce your decision, we'll be able to show everyone that it really does align with whose arguments were stronger. We know you wouldn't go against the impartial facts." He set the board down on the desk in front of him, holding Nale's eyes. "Your Honor."

Nale did not narrow his eyes, or clench his jaw, or give any other indication that he might be bothered by the boys' brazenness. He also resisted the urge to point out that _they_ were hardly unbiased; the court devolving into petty bickering before the hearing truly even began was the last thing anyone needed.

He turned to Vasher. "You may give your opening statement."

Vasher didn't stand or bow like Szeth, but his tone was professional and matter-of-fact. "I've had Nightblood since he was Awakened up until we were separated very recently. Since I helped Awaken him in the first place, I know him better than anyone else in this room. I believe he was happy when we traveled together."

_We had a lot of adventures!_ Nightblood's voice piped up in their minds. _And we killed a LOT of evil!_

Nale took notes. "And for how long _did_ you have custody of Nightblood?"

"A few centuries." When all the eyes in the room turned toward him, surprised, he shrugged one shoulder. "Give or take."

Nale paused before writing that down. "You don't know?"

"Once you pass three hundred, you kinda stop counting."

Nale, unfortunately, could relate to that, so he moved on. "And how, exactly, did the two of you become separated?"

Vasher hesitated.

Vivenna finally said, "He lost him."

"That is an over-simplification," Vasher said.

"Really?" Vivenna challenged. "What's _your_ version of events, then?"

Nale waited, his pen poised to write.

Vasher gave Vivenna an irritated look, then turned away, his shoulders slumping. "I lost him," he muttered.

Adolin sighed. Kaladin reluctantly scratched a tally mark into his board.

"And finally," Nale continued, "we will hear from our third party." He turned over a fresh sheet of paper.

Vivenna nodded. As she opened her mouth to speak, though, Nightblood interrupted, sounding excited. _Are you here to take me home with YOU instead?_

"No, Nightblood, I'm not. Sorry."

_But you're still with Vasher, right? Even though you're fighting? I've missed both of you so much!_

"Um, no. I'm not."

Nightblood's voice took on a confused whine. _But you made such a good team!_

Vivenna gritted her teeth. "Yeah, well, that was the past. And before you ask, I'm not on Szeth's side either."

"So why _are_ you here?" Vasher asked, still sounding irritated.

"I'm here because someone needs to be the voice of common sense," she snapped, "and no one else seems to be doing that."

Dalinar frowned.

Nale wrote that down. "Is that your statement?"

"I had more prepared, but you know what? Sure. Yes. That's my statement." She folded her arms.

An awkward silence fell over the courtroom. It was broken by Lift rummaging around in her backpack, then tearing open a bag of chips.

Nale did not glare at her. He turned to the next page of his notes. "Although there is, as stated previously, no perfect precedent for today, we are never completely without guidance. The law is our duty to uphold, and a ruling will therefore be made based primarily on what will be in the best interest of the swo— chil… sword… in question." Lift's crunching noises as she ate grated on his nerves. He took a steadying sip of his coffee. "Our purpose is to determine who is best equipped to handle such responsibility. We will therefore begin by finding out more about each party's living situation, chil— sword-care habits, and other relevant factors." He turned toward Szeth. "Please describe your current housing and financial situation."

Szeth hesitated. Finally, he turned to Dalinar. "Highprince," he asked quietly, "what _is_ my current situation?"

"We are still finalizing that," Dalinar admitted. "For now, Szeth is staying on my floor at Urithiru, and I intend to employ him as a bodyguard. Further specifics have not yet been discussed."

Nale made a note. Kaladin scratched another tally mark into his clipboard, looking a bit more cheerful this time.

Nale then turned to Vasher, and repeated the question.

"I live with the ardents," he said. "So, uh… no real home or assets to speak of."

Kaladin's frown returned as he made another tally mark.

Nale picked up the next sheet of paper, which was a checklist of childcare duties, and resisted frowning as he read it over. Most of the items on the list — including feeding the child, bathing it, arranging schooling, et cetera — simply did not apply here. He took a long drink of coffee. The room was still quiet; too quiet, as he sensed everyone beginning to wonder at what was taking him so long. Finally he cleared his throat, feeling foolish. "What, exactly, _are_ the sword's basic needs?"

_To destroy evil!_ Nightblood immediately chirped.

"I… see," Nale said. He cleared his throat again. "Szeth, what have you done thus far to ensure that Nightblood has been able to destroy a sufficient amount of evil?" He hoped that was how it worked.

Szeth bowed his head. "Aboshi, my entire purpose as a Skybreaker is the pursuit of justice. This frequently entails removing _injustice_ from the world, and I have already used the sword to do so. I believe that qualifies as destroying evil."

_You've only used me twice,_ Nightblood complained. _I can destroy way more evil than THAT!_

"Nightblood," Nale asked, "what would you consider to be a sufficient amount of evil?"

_Um… a LOT,_ it said. _Like, a LOT a lot. I bet I could destroy ALL the evil if I really put my mind to it!_

Nale did not sigh, though he knew that he was unlikely to get a more specific answer.

"And yourself, Vasher?" he asked.

"So. Here's the thing." Vasher spread his hands on the desk as if preparing to give a lecture. "Nightblood was created to destroy evil, but he doesn't really understand what evil _is._ He's not good at the abstract. He thinks almost everyone is evil, or at least capable of evil, and while the second one might be true it doesn't mean I'm going to _let_ him kill everyone."

"You still let him kill a lot of people," Vivenna muttered.

Nale did his best not to show his displeasure. "Are you saying that _you_ have a better understanding of evil than a sword whose express purpose is to find and destroy it?"

"Probably." He raised an eyebrow at Vivenna. "I hope I have more _common sense_ than a sword."

"What, then, counts as evil in _your_ opinion?" Nale asked. "And how much of it have you let Nightblood kill?"

Vasher sounded amused when he answered. "I'm smart enough to not say anything about that without a lawyer, Your Honor." Then, anticipating Adolin's interruption, he added, "A _real_ lawyer."

_You use me more than Szeth, but still not_ ** _enough,_** Nightblood grumbled.

Nale looked over the childcare list again, floundering for any sort of legal guidance he might have missed.

"If Adolin can be a lawyer," Lift announced, "then I can be a lawyer too, right? I'd like to pass a mandatory lunchtime law. This is taking too long, and I'm hungry."

"That's…" Dalinar said, giving her a strange look. "That's not how—" Then he sighed, apparently deciding it was pointless to argue.

Nale finally found an applicable item on the checklist. "As you both know, having a chi— sentient sword — is a large responsibility, and occasionally there are times when a helper or babysitter is needed. Szeth, how do you deal with such times?"

"I have never required a babysitter, Aboshi," Szeth said, solemn as ever. "Your explicit instructions for my Skybreaker training were that I was never to let the sword out of my sight. I will continue to be attentive to the sword's needs."

Vasher snorted quietly. "He says that _now._ Give it some time."

Nale gave him a reproachful look.

Vasher sighed and sat up straighter. "I tried not to leave Nightblood alone either," he said, "for obvious reasons. But when I did need to, well." He pointed with his thumb at Vivenna. "Nightblood likes her, and she's never killed anyone with him. _Some people_ might say that's even better than when I'm watching him."

"That's true," Vivenna said. "On _all_ counts."

Nale wrote that down, and turned the page to a new form. "That brings me to another question. How else has your relationship with Vivenna affected Nightblood's life?"

"My _what?"_

"We're not in a relationship," Vivenna argued.

"We're not."

"Yeah." Vivenna glanced at him, and — in Nale's opinion, rather unconvincingly — added, "Ew."

Vasher turned back to her, looking offended.

Nale's eyebrows furrowed by a millimeter or two. "But you were together in the past, when you traveled with Nightblood?"

"Not—" Vasher began, but broke off. The look he and Vivenna exchanged was distinctly uncertain.

"Well," Vasher tried again, "We _were_ partners, in a sense, but…"

Vivenna's hair seemed, inexplicably, to get a shade redder. "There… _may,_ at one point, have been some unaddressed feelings on one or both sides," she admitted, "but we never…" Then she glared at Nale, her hair now definitely red. "Why am I telling _you_ this? This is none of your business!"

"If it pertains to the sword's well-being, then yes, it _is_ my business," Nale said, trying to figure out if he was hallucinating the red hair. "Please answer the question."

"We were together," Vasher said, "but not _together."_

"Exactly," Vivenna said.

Nale stared at the YES or NO options on the form, sweating.

"Anyway," Vivenna said, her hair back to its normal black. "I think you're approaching this whole thing the wrong way, Your Honor. Nightblood is, obviously, pretty adaptable — like Vasher said, he likes hanging out with _me,_ and I've never drawn him once. However, he's very persistent in asking whoever's in charge of him if they'd like to go destroy some supposed evil. I think the question is less 'who will Nightblood be better off with,' and more 'who will ensure that _everyone else_ that Nightblood may meet will be better off.'"

Nale disagreed that his focus was totally wrong, as the law explicitly outlined that decisions should be made based on the best interest of the child, but he couldn't deny that in this unique case she had a point. Other faces around the room also looked thoughtful.

Reviewing his notes, Nale saw that both Szeth and Vasher already had, more or less, answered that question. "In that case," he said, "what is _your_ ideal solution, Vivenna? Is it for Nightblood to be placed in the custody of one such as yourself, who will never let him kill anyone at all, despite him apparently needing to destroy evil?"

"He's a sword," Vivenna said. "It's not the same way you or I need food to survive."

_But I DO need to destroy evil,_ Nightblood protested. _I get really sad and grumpy when I don't. Almost as sad and grumpy as Vasher!_

"Emotional needs are still needs," Nale said, making another note.

Vivenna sighed. "Nightblood, you were happy when I watched you, and you _knew_ I was never going to use you," she pointed out.

"Is this your goal, then?" Nale asked. "To obtain custody for yourself?"

"Oh, colors, no!"

"Why not? All of your arguments point that way. If the safety of others is your priority, and you trust yourself more than everyone else present, would that not be a logical conclusion?"

"I…" Vivenna seemed to squirm under his scrutiny. "Yes, I would trust myself with Nightblood, but… he _is_ a lot of responsibility, and truthfully, I don't want to be tied down like that."

Nale found himself raising an eyebrow.

"Finally, you understand the choice I've constantly had to make," Vasher said quietly, leaning closer to Vivenna as he spoke. With no small amount of bitterness, he added, "And somehow I'm still the irresponsible one."

Vivenna paused, stunned for a moment, then studied him suspiciously.

_Vasher?_ Nightblood said, its voice wavering. _What do you mean? Are you saying you don't want me?_

"What? No, that's not—"

_Why are you here if you don't actually want me?_

"Nightblood—"

_THIS ISN'T FAAAIIIIRRRRR,_ the sword wailed. _I MISS SHASHARA. WHERE IS SHE?_ ** _SHE_** _ALWAYS WANTED ME AROUND._

Vasher shot Vivenna a glare. "This is your fault."

"This is not my fault. You've always been good at accidentally insulting people. And swords."

He glared at her a second longer, then lowered his head to the desk in front of him with something between a growl and a groan of frustration.

There was an awkward stretch of time while everyone waited for Nightblood to finish its imitation of a crying fit. Lift scooted her chair closer to Szeth. "Is this normal for talking swords?" she whispered.

"I… truly do not know, Lift." Szeth stared at the sword, at a loss.

Eventually, mercifully, the sword quieted.

Nale drained his coffee. "As I was about to say, before… interruptions," he said. Nightblood made a sniffling sound. "Consideration must be given to the lifestyles and mental and emotional states of the… parents, as well as any future plans they may have. I would like to turn to each party's character witnesses for these next questions. Highprince Kholin, Lift, please give your honest opinions on Szeth's strengths and weaknesses as Nightblood's guardian."

Dalinar sat up straight, his hands folded on the desk in front of him in the perfect picture of reasonability. "Szeth is admittedly a force to behold in combat, even without this sword. However, I believe that his awareness of his own powers and his oath to me will ensure that nothing reckless happens. Though I have only known Szeth as an ally for a short time, I trust him."

Adolin raised his hand. "Your Honor, if I may say something?"

"Proceed."

Adolin cleared his throat. "No offense meant, Father, but Your Honor, his track record in deciding who to trust has not exactly been one hundred percent."

Dalinar frowned. Nale asked, "Do you have any evidence with which to back this claim up?"

"Two words," Adolin said, looking Dalinar in the eye. "Sadeas. And Amaram."

The ensuing silence was broken only by the scratching sound of Kaladin decisively etching another tally mark into their side of the board.

Nale cleared his throat. "Is there anything else you would like to say, Highprince Kholin?"

Dalinar shook his head, looking subdued.

Lift piped up. "Well, I also think Szeth has been pretty okay, and my judgment is better because I don't know who this Sadass is."

Kaladin suddenly choked.

Adolin thumped him on the back as he recovered. When Nale glanced over, Adolin was grinning and Kaladin was clearly biting the insides of his cheeks to keep from laughing.

Nale did not sigh, or roll his eyes. "Lift, please elaborate on why you believe Szeth to be a responsible guardian."

"Uh, well… he only killed the guys who wanted to kill us first at Thaylen City. And in Yeddaw, he was _supposed_ to kill me since you told him to, but he didn't, even though he had the sword. And, um… yeah?" She popped a handful of raisins into her mouth.

_Why would I kill you, though?_ Nightblood asked. _You're not evil._

"So he trusts Nightblood's judgment more than his own," Vasher muttered. "Great."

Vivenna gave him a disbelieving look. "And you _don't?_ Remember T'Telir? Nightblood's opinion is the reason you decided not to kill me!"

Vasher awkwardly scratched at his beard. "I walked into that one, huh?"

Nale rapped his gavel on the podium, though he was beginning to no longer see the point. Clearly he had no power to stop anyone in this room from talking out of turn.

"Prince Adolin, Captain Kaladin, please share your observations on Vasher."

"Well," Adolin began, "he's an excellent swordmaster. If he can teach children how to use Shardblades without any casualties, I don't think Nightblood will be a problem at all."

"And what does he do when he's not teaching swords?" Nale asked. "Does he have friends? Hobbies? Anything that might be a positive or negative force in Nightblood's life?"

Kaladin studied Vasher, frowning. Adolin checked and double-checked his notes in silence.

"To tell the truth," Adolin finally said after his notes came up empty, "I think Zahel is a bit depressed — he doesn't have many friends, or hobbies, though teaching swords is a pretty ideal main hobby to have here. This depression is likely due to his loneliness at being separated from his only child."

"Not to mention," Kaladin added, "plenty of people with depression still manage to have stable, fulfilling lives. Look at me, for instance."

Vasher raised an eyebrow at them with a look that clearly asked _This is really the angle you're going with?_

Nale took more notes.

"Anyway," Adolin quickly said, as if sensing that Nale wasn't convinced. "My client may be depressed, but if that's true then _Szeth_ is… de-completely-squished."

Every head in the room turned toward him with matching baffled expressions.

"What?" was all Nale could manage.

"You know," Adolin tried. "Pressed, squished…? Like, way _more_ depressed? I only became a lawyer last night, Jasnah didn't have time to teach me all the terminology."

Vasher closed his eyes. "You're not a lawyer."

"But I am," Lift grumbled. "When's lunch?"

Kaladin pressed on. "Not to mention that Szeth talks about hearing voices in his head — voices that aren't Nightblood. That's not a great sign of mental stability."

"This is about Vasher, not about Szeth," Nale reminded them, irritated. "And weren't you the one that just said depressed people can still have healthy, stable lives?"

"Yes, but… Zahel and I are still in the mostly-functional area of depression. Szeth is another story."

Adolin rested a concerned hand on Kaladin's shoulder. Gently, he said, _"Functional_ is a strong word, Kaladin."

Kaladin brushed his hand off and narrowed his eyes. "At least I didn't spend the entire Weeping lying in a hammock trying to get drunk."

"I didn't—" Adolin blinked, then turned toward Vasher. "Does he mean you?"

Vasher sighed. "Yeah, that happened."

Adolin's expression became even more concerned. "Zahel, if you need help…"

Nale scribbled furiously, trying to keep up with their back-and-forth. A bit more judgmentally than he intended, he asked, "So you admit that you have an alcohol problem?"

"That was only because I was on vacation," Vasher said. "And alcohol doesn't affect me anyway, so no, I don't think it's a problem."

"It's true," Vivenna added. "I've also seen him try to get drunk; it never worked."

Nale tried to make sense of that; how could an ordinary human who (he assumed) couldn't use Stormlight at all be immune to alcohol?

Vasher, with the air of one who was trying very hard to concisely explain something very complicated, said, "I have a, uh, metabolic condition."

Lift perked up, her sandwich momentarily forgotten. "Wait, really? You too?"

Now Vasher looked confused.

"I turn food into Stormlight," Lift explained. "I didn't think anyone else was the same way!"

"It's…" Vasher looked at her the way someone might look at a puzzle that was missing half of its pieces. "Similar, yeah."

Lift returned to her sandwich, satisfied.

Vasher turned back to Nale. "Like I said, I don't see how it's an issue."

"How is alcoholism not an issue?" Nale pressed.

"It doesn't affect me! How is it different from if I really liked, I don't know, pineapple juice?"

Nale did not sigh. "It's not about—"

"What's a pineapple?" Lift interrupted again. "Are they tasty?"

Vasher glanced at her. "Yeah, they're pretty good."

"Where can I find one?"

Nale rapped his gavel on the podium. "There _will_ be order," he commanded, doing his best not to glare at Lift.

Adolin squared his shoulders. "Anyway, to finish my original point: Yes, Zahel is a bit depressed, which means he would almost certainly benefit from a more happy influence in his life. And Nightblood is nothing if not cheerful, so being together again would be good for them both." And then he gave Nale a dazzling grin.

Nale decided it was best to just move on. He desperately wished for another cup of coffee. "Szeth, what are your plans for the future, and how would they accommodate Nightblood?"

Szeth sat perfectly upright. In a calm voice, he said, "I will pursue my Fourth Skybreaker Ideal, the Ideal of Crusade, and cleanse Shinovar of all those that wrongfully sold me into slavery. I will, of course, use the sword if I am able to keep custody, as my quest will be an ideal way to allow it to destroy evil with me."

Nightblood, who had been pretty subdued ever since its "crying" fit, came alive at that. _Really, Szeth?_ it exclaimed. _You mean it? You're really going to destroy ALL THAT EVIL with me?!_

"Yes, sword-nimi," he said, solemn as ever. "I mean it."

_EEEEEEEEEE,_ Nightblood cried in delight. _I CAN'T WAAAAIIIIITTTT!_

Nale nodded approvingly, though when he looked around the courtroom, few of the other faces looked so pleased.

"Apologies for interrupting," Vivenna said, not sounding at all apologetic, "but exactly how much of Shinovar are you planning to 'cleanse'?"

"As much as needs to be," Szeth replied. "Everyone who was complicit must pay."

A few streaks of white shot through Vivenna's hair. "So your plan for Nightblood is mass vengeance."

"I am a Skybreaker now," Szeth said. "It is not vengeance. It is justice."

Kaladin set his scoreboard down on the desk with an echoing thud. "Okay," he said, visibly bristling, "how the _hell_ is it that when Szeth does bloody murder on his oppressors it's fine and even admirable, but the second I so much as look at a Lighteyes the wrong way I get thrown in a bridge crew and almost executed? _Repeatedly?"_

"This isn't about you," Nale said.

"Doesn't matter," Kaladin growled. "There are some pretty storming huge double standards in the so-called laws here."

"This debate again?" Nale sighed, keeping his voice as emotionless as ever. "Don't you have your tally board to prove that I'm acting rationally?"

Kaladin recoiled as if Nale had physically slapped him. Adolin and Vasher fixed Nale with filthy glares, looking ready to launch themselves out of their seats to attack him. Even Lift briefly stopped crunching her food.

Nale was too tired to care if pointing out the facts had been rude. "Vasher, what are your future plans?"

"No solid plans, really," he said, his voice also barely above a growl. "I'll probably continue to teach swords. But that means I can better adapt to whatever Nightblood needs."

Kaladin leveled a glare at Nale that would certainly have withered an ordinary man, and scratched another tally into his board.

Nale finished writing his notes of the last few minutes, and turned to his last page. "And finally, the court will hear any objections each side may have to the other. Szeth, can you think of any reasons why Vasher would not be an ideal guardian for Nightblood?"

Szeth bowed his head. "Honestly, Aboshi, I do not know him well enough to make such a judgment, even if making such a judgment was my place. I can only speak for my own strengths and weaknesses."

"Wisely stated," Nale said, pleased. "Highprince Kholin, Lift, do you have anything to add?"

Dalinar shook his head. "Zahel is an excellent, if unorthodox, swordmaster; I don't have anything against him."

"He eats Stormlight," Lift said. "He's cool."

"Very well." Nale turned toward Vasher's side of the room. "Can you think of any reasons why Szeth would not be an ideal guardian?"

Vasher, Kaladin, and Adolin shared a deadpan look.

"You mean," Kaladin said, with a tone that said he couldn't believe he actually had to spell this out, "aside from the fact that he's _the Assassin in White?"_

Dalinar sighed.

Vasher leaned toward Vivenna. "Back us up here. You want to avoid murder sprees? That—" he pointed at Szeth and Nightblood — "is another one waiting to happen."

Nale gritted his teeth. "Please refrain from making baseless accusations."

"Baseless?" Kaladin demanded. "He _admitted_ as much!"

"He's reformed," Dalinar argued.

Vasher raised his eyebrows. "Even if we don't count Shinovar, I don't think anything's changed here. Before, he blindly followed the orders of whoever he'd sworn himself to, no matter how destructive those orders were, and now he's… sworn himself to someone else. What's the difference?"

"The difference," Szeth said, "is that I trust Highprince Kholin's judgment, and my oath to him is of my own free will. I only obeyed my previous masters because they held my Oathstone."

Vasher stared at him, disbelieving. "It was a _rock."_

"Your Honor," Adolin interjected, "I think this is a pretty clear demonstration that Szeth is simply not sane. Certainly not sane enough to be trusted with such a dangerous sword."

Szeth's voice remained a little too carefully even. "Regarding the Oathstone, I made a promise and I kept it, even if it was… painful, at times."

"Your promise to murder countless people?" Adolin demanded. "How is that something to be proud of?"

Vivenna chimed in. "And what happens next time Kholin wants someone dead? For once, Vasher's right; nothing's changed."

Szeth waited for them to finish. "I am _not_ proud of my past," he said quietly, glancing at Adolin with haunted eyes before turning back to address Nale, "but I have been responsible with the sword thus far, and I intend to keep my promise to be a good guardian with the same integrity that I have always shown."

There was a brief, unconvinced silence, and then the bubbling chaos that had just barely been suppressed until now erupted.

"Okay, not to keep harping on this, but," Adolin insisted, raising his voice to be heard over everyone else. "I don't think that counts as _integrity."_

Nale gave him a flat look. "You've made your point. Can we move on?"

"What, like it's that easy to just move on?" Kaladin retorted.

Nale rubbed his temples as the shouting continued.

"Adolin!" Dalinar's authoritative voice cut through the clamor. "There is no need to sling such accusations around. I raised you better than this!"

"You absolutely did not!" Adolin shot back.

_WHY IS EVERYONE SHOUTING?_ Nightblood shouted.

Szeth was the only one still sitting quietly, and he sighed. "Because no one is listening," he replied softly.

Lift scooted closer to Szeth. "Are you gonna, like… stand up for yourself?"

Szeth didn't acknowledge her.

Lift waited for a few moments before shrugging, saying "Okay," and standing up on her chair. "Szeth and Nightblood are both deevy," she yelled, "and you can't change my mind!"

"Szeth's a war criminal!" Kaladin yelled back.

Vivenna groaned. "You know Vasher's technically _also_ a war criminal, right?"

"Half the people in this room _including the judge_ are war criminals!" Vasher shouted, exasperated. "None of us are special!"

"How dare you!" Nale reprimanded. "I _always_ follow laws."

Vasher rounded on him. "Then clearly Kaladin is right and those laws are chull shit!"

"You _would_ be disdainful," Dalinar accused, crossing his arms. "You can't even be bothered to follow basic ardent rules. Like a haircut!"

Kaladin leaped to his feet. _"His hair is fine!"_

Nale put his head in his hands. This is not what he had signed up for. He was supposed to be better than this at controlling a room.

Kaladin's voice cut through the crowd again. "And while we're on this topic," he said, though Nale had lost track of what topic that was. "You are also being a hypocrite!"

"What?" Vivenna yelled.

"You claim to be a princess who just ran away from her problems; how can you talk to Vasher about responsibility?"

"That's different!" she retorted.

"Wow," Lift commented, "I haven't seen Mr. Darkness this flustered since Yeddaw."

Nale looked up, startled. He did not look flustered. He _wasn't_ flustered. Right?

"It is different," Vasher snapped. "She runs straight _toward_ her problems like a reckless fool!"

"At least I'm not the one that _lost Nightblood."_

_"Why are you here?"_

_"ENOUGH,"_ Nale boomed.

All heads turned toward him.

He bolted upright, breathing hard. "I must… deliberate over the evidence presented today. In private. I will return as soon as I have come to a decision." And without a backward glance, he swept out of the room.

* * *

Szeth, Lift, and Dalinar watched Nale sprint for his private office and slam the door behind him.

"Was he…" Dalinar blinked, perplexed. _"Crying?"_

"If he was," Lift said, "then I've made him cry _twice._ I bet that's some sort of record." She hopped off of her chair, stretching. "Hey Sir Tight-butt, can I borrow some spheres?"

Dalinar's face went through the five stages of grief before settling on resigned acceptance. "Why?"

"The vending machine in the hallway."

He sighed, but handed her a few chips. She skidded away.

Dalinar awkwardly turned toward Szeth. "Are you, er, doing all right?"

_Am I ever doing all right?_ Szeth answered in his mind. But of course he could never say that. He offered Dalinar a wan smile. "I am fine, Highprince. But I would prefer to be alone with my thoughts right now."

Dalinar nodded and retreated to a few chairs away.

Szeth loosed a long, weary sigh.

_You lied, you know,_ Nightblood said. _You are definitely not fine._

"I know, sword-nimi."

_So what's up?_

How could he even begin to put it all into words?

_Just try!_ Nightblood said. _Vivenna used to say that you can't feel better until you say what's wrong in the first place. She never did follow that advice herself, of course, but still!_

Szeth rested his elbows on the desk, and his chin on his hands. "I worry that everyone else is right," he whispered. "That I truly don't know how to think for myself. But I also know I can never trust myself to think or act correctly, as I've made so many mistakes in my life."

_Wow,_ Nightblood said. Szeth wasn't sure what that meant.

The door opened and Lift strolled back in, arms laden with more snacks than Szeth thought a vending machine could even hold. "While we're on the subject of me being a lawyer," she said, crossing the room toward Dalinar, "from now on pancakes must always be served in groups of ten."

Dalinar had apparently given up on trying to reason with her. "That's… specific," he said.

Lift tore open a package of jerky with her teeth. "You'd be surprised how many people try to wiggle out of that one. They'll say there's ten, and then the last one's imaginary! That's some false advertising!"

Szeth shook his head, shutting out her carefree banter.

_You sound even more sad than Vasher,_ Nightblood said. _I didn't think that was possible. Is it just fun for humans to be sad or something?_

"No," Szeth said. "But sometimes, we cannot help it."

_Why not? Being happy is easy! Just think about all the evil you said we're gonna destroy!_

Szeth shook his head.

_Are you NOT going to destroy it after all?_ Nightblood asked.

Of course he was. It was his Crusade, part of his holy duty as a Skybreaker. And yet, Nightblood was wrong; he wasn't sure what he felt when he thought about it, but it definitely wasn't happiness.

Nightblood seemed to be pondering something of great gravity. _Am I the thing that's making you unhappy, Szeth?_

Szeth startled. "Of course not!"

_Are you sure? Because whenever you talked about me today, it was always stuff like duty and responsibility and all those other boring things. You never once said anything about having FUN._

Szeth sat back, morosely considering that. It had been a long, long time since he had had anything resembling fun.

"I don't know why I'm telling you all this," Lift said in the background, munching some candy. "You're Alethi. You don't know anything about food."

"What's wrong with Alethi food?" Dalinar asked defensively.

"Nothing, except you can only ever eat half of it. How can _food_ be either girly or… boy-ey? That's dumb."

Szeth closed his eyes.

_Ooh, I have an idea!_ Nightblood said. _Maybe you should try making a decision for yourself! You said you haven't done that in a while, maybe that would be fun!_

"It doesn't quite work that way, sword-nimi," Szeth sighed. "I've tried that. I _must_ do my duty. No matter what my personal desires might be, I can never act on them. It only brings more pain in the end."

_Are you even listening?_ Nightblood asked.

Szeth squeezed his eyes shut, trying to ignore the voices. "I fear that people like me do not deserve happiness, sword-nimi."

_Oh BROTHER,_ Nightblood exclaimed. _You're so dramatic! All I'm saying is maybe you should try not torturing yourself for a change and see what happens. Am I really that bad? I like you, Szeth, but you're allowed to break up with me, you know._

"I…" Szeth shook his head. The sword was wrong. Of course he couldn't just abandon his oath like that… could he?

"What if an Alethi chick is dying in the desert," Lift shouted from a few chairs over, "and the only food she can find is spicy boy food?"

Dalinar rubbed his temples. "She would make an exception—"

"Yeah, 'cept she's not used to spicy food, so she eats it and then she has to blow her nose and gets dehydrated and dies anyway! See, it's _dumb!"_

Szeth rested his head in his hands, forlorn. "Truthfully, sword-nimi, I don't know what the right decision is. I _should_ know; that is my duty as a Skybreaker. But it is… so difficult, sometimes."

_Well,_ Nightblood said, _Vasher always used to say that… uhhh… Actually I don't remember what it was, but I'm sure it's relevant!_

Szeth sat quietly for a moment, then asked, "You really do miss him, don't you?"

_Well, yeah,_ Nightblood said, sounding surprised. _Why wouldn't I?_

"Perhaps…" Szeth said, though he felt guilty for even considering it. "Perhaps the right decision would be to trust that the two of you know what's best for yourselves, no matter how I might feel about it."

_Aw, don't look so sad. You can still visit me on weekends! We can go play that water balloon game you like, and kill more prison guards! Now doesn't THAT sound fun?_

Szeth did not have any particular desire to either play with water balloons or kill prison guards again, but for Nightblood's benefit, he offered a small, sad smile. "Yes, sword-nimi. I'm sure we'll see each other again."

* * *

Vivenna and Vasher both sat silently with arms crossed, all of their willpower focused toward not shouting at each other again, though occasionally they'd trade a glare. The old Vivenna would have been embarrassed at causing such a scene, but the Vivenna of today itched to cause another. It wasn't her fault that Vasher was so damn infuriating.

Adolin returned from the bathroom, running a hand through his unruly blond hair, and sat back down next to Kaladin. He nodded at their tally board. "How's it looking?"

Kaladin pressed his lips together. "It could go either way. The scores are almost perfectly even."

"Figures." Adolin spread out his stack of notes. "If we're going to nail him for playing favorites, we'll have to get him on a technicality. Which means we should review all of these and make sure we're adding them up right."

Kaladin chuckled.

"What?" Adolin asked.

"Nothing, just… 'if we're going to _nail_ him.'" He grinned. "'Cause, you know. _Nale."_

Adolin groaned, but set to work.

As Vivenna returned yet another of Vasher's glares with one of her own, he snapped, "Why are you so angry?"

"Why are _you_ so angry?"

"Because I had a decent chance today before you showed up to complicate everything!"

She felt her hair turning red again. "I am not the one that made this complicated!"

_"Why are you here?"_ he demanded again.

"Because—" She broke off, stewing, suddenly unable to put the obvious into words. Her hands clenched into fists. She finally shouted, _"You just LEFT."_

Vasher looked taken aback for a split second, but recovered quickly. "You left first!"

"To take a break," she cried, no longer knowing or caring what angry colors bled through her hair. "A few months; a year, _maybe._ I _told_ you as much. And then next thing I know you're just _gone?_ Not even a 'Hey Vivenna, I'm leaving for the horrible crab planet so I can eat some Stormlight to stay alive, seeya never' note or something? I mean… what the _hell,_ Vasher?"

That actually seemed to subdue him. He uncrossed his arms and crossed them the other way, not meeting her eyes. Adolin and Kaladin looked up from their tally board discussion, but quickly averted their eyes when Vivenna noticed them.

"For whatever it's worth," Vasher said, his voice rough, "which probably isn't much, I'm sorry."

He was sincere; Vivenna still knew him well enough to see that. For some reason that made her even angrier. Her fingernails dug into her palms through her gloves — those stupid gloves; stupid Alethi and their stupid left hand taboo and for that matter, stupid Roshar, with all of its disgusting shellfish and apocalyptic storms. And stupid Vasher for making her follow him here in the first place.

She listened to Adolin and Kaladin try to return to their debate, but it was obvious that they were still eavesdropping.

"Fighting bandits," Vivenna finally said, just to say anything else that wasn't dangerously close to admitting she'd actually missed Vasher. "You asked what happened — the scar. A group of bandits attacked a waystop I'd been staying in, and I helped fight them off. It was just a few weeks before I left Nalthis."

She felt Vasher's gaze briefly flicker to her face. "You look dangerous," he said.

"Oh." She felt a bit silly for snapping at him earlier, now that her anger was burning out. "Thanks."

They lapsed into another quiet, this one significantly more awkward.

"Do you really think I'm a bad parent?" Vasher asked quietly.

She had to think about that one. With her long-building frustration now out in the open, she wasn't quite sure where that left things. "I guess… Nightblood isn't exactly easy to parent," she conceded. "And you're probably at least slightly better than Szeth."

He snorted. "High praise indeed."

She let out a shaky laugh. "Don't get used to it."

That was the problem, she realized; she _had_ gotten used to the two of them as a team. So much so that she hadn't even considered that Vasher might really have wanted to leave. Sure, they'd spent years traveling together, but he was centuries old; a few years probably meant nothing to him. Maybe she really had been annoying him, and maybe he really did prefer being alone.

She felt her hair flush an embarrassed red. Stupid Vivenna, she corrected herself from earlier, for _choosing_ to follow him here in the first place.

Vasher uncrossed his arms again. "If, by some miracle Nale rules in my favor, would…"

She braced herself.

Vasher fumbled through a few false starts. "I'm a better person when you're around," he finally said. "That's not supposed to be a threat or guilt-trip, just a fact. And maybe Nightblood and I can join you on your adventures this time. If you'll have us."

Vivenna blinked. That wasn't what she had expected; now it was her turn to struggle for words. "Just so we're clear," she managed, "this is purely so I can keep an eye on you and Nightblood without being solely responsible for him, right? No other reasons?"

"Of course not. No other reasons."

Kaladin and Adolin weren't even pretending to pay attention to their scoreboard anymore.

Vivenna forced herself to ignore them. She tried to imagine her and Vasher and Nightblood together, a team again, but this time with age and experience and actual knowledge of what they'd be getting into, and her breath caught as she found she felt at home for the first time since coming to Roshar.

Fiercely willing her hair not to give her away, she said, "I guess I could live with that."

* * *

Nale wasn't sure exactly how long he had spent in the private office, but the shouting had subsided and he felt much more composed. He straightened his robes and re-entered the courtroom, his decision written out on the fresh sheets of paper he carried with him.

He was mildly surprised to see that no one had killed or maimed each other, and Nightblood remained in its place on Szeth's desk. In fact, the room went quiet as he returned to his podium, everyone waiting to see what he would say.

He placed his papers in front of him, cleared his throat, and began.

Immediately, several pairs of eyes glazed over at the legal jargon. He was not offended; most ordinary people did not have the capability to appreciate a piece of well-reasoned writing. He read through his summary of the relevant precedents and his analysis of each party's arguments, forming the basis and explanation of his ultimate decision.

"In light of all of the above," he continued, and everyone, sensing that he was approaching the end, tuned back in. "It is the ruling of the court that full and permanent custody of Nightblood will be awarded to Szeth of the Skybreakers. This hearing is now adjourned." He set the papers down, rapped once with his gavel, and looked up, satisfied.

The room remained strangely quiet. Nale was baffled to see that not a single person seemed to share in his satisfaction. Even Szeth looked more morose than usual.

"I told you," Kaladin whispered, almost too softly to hear.

Szeth finally bowed his head. "If that is truly your final decision, Aboshi, I will of course do my duty by it. Thank you for hearing this case today."

Vasher shook his head, disgusted. To Adolin, he asked, "Can I fight this?"

"You can appeal the decision," Adolin said, consulting his notes. "But you'd need to prove that circumstances have significantly changed."

"Circumstances _have_ changed!"

Nale frowned. What on Roshar was he talking about? "There is no possible way that your circumstances have changed dramatically enough to justify an appeal in such a short time," he said.

Vasher raised an eyebrow. "Wanna bet?"

"Firstly," Vivenna said, "the two of us decided to be adventuring partners again."

"But it's contingent on Nightblood joining us," Vasher added.

Kaladin stood up. "Adolin and I have reviewed our board, and it turns out that Zahel's case _was_ actually the slightest bit stronger in the first place."

Szeth took a deep breath. "The sword and I have had a discussion, and we agreed that…" He hesitated. "In spite of your orders, Aboshi, we might be better off going our separate ways."

Dalinar shook his head. "And clearly no one cares about anything I have to say today."

"Hey," Lift said. "I care!"

Nale looked over the room's inhabitants, and his earlier frustration bubbled back dangerously close to the surface. Who did any of them think they were? "You all decided to take this case to court in the first place," he reminded them, none too patiently. "This means you are bound by my decision, no matter how unhappy you might be."

"This is abuse of discretion," Adolin challenged.

_"There will be no appeals!"_ Nale roared. "My decision is final, and _I AM THE LAW."_

And no amount of shouting could make him change his mind.

* * *

"That was a storming waste of time," Vasher muttered.

No one contradicted him. After failing to make Nale see reason, they'd all filed out of the hearing in one disgruntled group, and now stood brooding in the courtyard. By some impossible miracle, they had all managed to come to an agreement, only for Nale to turn around and ruin it all. Vasher, of course, wasn't _surprised_ about that last part, but it still pissed him off.

"Not to suggest the obvious," Kaladin said, "but Szeth could just _give_ you the sword."

"Until Nale finds out," Adolin groused, "and drags all of our asses to Skybreaker jail for holding the court in contempt."

Lift snorted. "He could _try."_

_Wait,_ Nightblood said, sounding confused. _So... I'm NOT going with Vasher? What's going on?_

Szeth bowed his head. "It is my fault," he said, his voice barely above a somber whisper. "My own strict code of duty has led to the unhappiness of all. I am… sorry."

Kaladin gave him a flat look. "Szeth?"

"Yes?"

_"Shut up."_

The group lapsed back into quiet. Vasher glanced at Vivenna, but she was absorbed in her own thoughts. He almost wanted to ask if she'd still let him join her, but since there _was_ a chance that she really did only agree because of Nightblood, he said nothing. No point making even more of an idiot of himself in front of everyone.

"You know…" Vivenna said. "Lift does have a point."

They all turned toward her.

"Look at us," she continued. "Four Radiants, three expert swordsmen, and the terrible black Shardblade itself, all on the same side?"

Despite everything, Vasher almost smiled at the confidence in her voice. "Herald or not, Nale wouldn't stand a chance."

Dalinar sighed. "I won't stop whatever you're planning, but please leave me out of it."

"Too late, Father," Adolin said, sounding closer to his usual peppy self. "You're already involved. We should probably all just make the best of it."

Lift turned to Szeth, raising an eyebrow. "Well?" she prompted.

Szeth took a moment to think about it, then, with a ceremonious gravity that Vasher would have found ridiculous under any other circumstances, he unclasped the leather sling and held Nightblood out to Vasher with both hands.

As Vasher took the sword, he could have sworn that Szeth, for once, looked at peace.

_YAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!_ Nightblood cheered.

Vasher rolled his eyes. Still, as he adjusted the sling, he couldn't deny that the weight of the sword on his back felt familiar. Felt right. Not that he'd ever _tell_ that to Nightblood, of course.

_Nice try, Vasher,_ Nightblood said. _Don't you remember I can read your thoughts?_

He did, unfortunately.

_Aw,_ Nightblood said, continuing to browse his mind. _You missed Vivenna almost as much as I did!_

"Szeth, get back here," Vasher grumbled as Vivenna gave him a funny look. "I've changed my mind."

"So," Adolin said, oblivious to the awkward moment, "suggestions on how we avoid the wrath of Nale? Thoughts, comments, concerns? What's our first step?"

Lift cocked her head, pondering that. Then she said, "Chouta?"

Everyone looked thoughtful for a few moments before a ripple of assent spread through the group.

_What's chouta?_ Nightblood asked as they all followed Lift toward the street food stalls. _Is it evil?_

"No," Vasher said.

But he found that he looked forward to destroying some anyway.


End file.
